PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto and State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi confirmed that Prabowo sent Megawati an orchid bouquet for her 78th birthday amid a rumored meeting between the two on Thursday.

A House of Representatives’ proposal to grant universities mineral and coal mining concessions seeks to make the institutions complicit in environmentally and socially harmful mining practices and stifle dissent from academics, activists say.

The latest survey by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has found that despite improvements in the past year, the country is still largely prone to graft, with the National Police and regional administrations ranked among the institutions at the highest risk of indulging in illicit practices.

The House of Representatives and the administration of President Prabowo Subianto have said that all elected regional heads whose wins in the November polls are not in dispute will be inaugurated on Feb. 6

The President said he and his ministers were committed to providing “the best for the people”, which he said was demonstrated by the cabinet’s achievements so far, such as lowering domestic airfares and stabilizing food prices.

The President has approved a budget of Rp 48.8 trillion for legislative and judicial facilities, as well as for the construction of roads in and around Nusantara and for the maintenance of facilities already built there.

Puan told reporters on Tuesday that the meeting could take place on Thursday, Megawati's birthday, shortly before Prabowo jets off to India for an official visit.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) sent a letter to the South Jakarta District Court requesting a postponement for the pretrial hearing, citing a need for more time for its legal team to gather expert testimony.

France had previously requested the transfer of Serge Atlaoui, who has been jailed in Indonesia since 2005, Coordinating Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services Yusril Ihza Mahendra told reporters. 

An ongoing revision to the Mining Law that includes a plan to grant higher education institutions concessions for minerals mining has drawn criticism from civil groups, who call the move pork barrel politics. 

A raft of missteps and lack of coordination among cabinet officials has colored the first three months of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, as analysts point to the overburdened bureaucracy as the leading cause of the government’s issues.

A proposed revision to the 2009 Mining Law suggests that higher education institutions and local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) may be granted licenses to manage mining operations.

President Prabowo Subianto’s populist policies, his stern leadership and a lack of government infighting have contributed to his unexpectedly high approval rating in his first few months in office, researchers say.

The Jan. 4-10 survey by the research unit of newspaper Kompas, showed 80.9 percent of the 1,000 respondents were satisfied because of his people-oriented leadership and that he had made a start on most of his campaign platforms.

President Prabowo Subianto plans to hold a military-style retreat for incoming regional heads elected in last November’s elections, garnering mixed reactions from the public, with some critics raising concerns over the possible recentralization of governance.

The Defense Ministry and the Indonesian Military are working to increase defense budget from 0.8 percent to 1 percent and towards 1.5 percent of the country's GDP.

Budi Arie, who currently serves as cooperatives minister under President Prabowo Subianto, told reporters on Friday morning that the two politicians had in fact discussed ways to improve national unity.

Prabowo said his government was committed to paying for the free meals program itself and that he would ensure the funding for the program was disbursed efficiently.

Should the former Jakarta governor see through his plan to establish a mass organization, it may help provide him with a platform to run in the 2029 presidential election, political analysts have said.

Former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said his recent meeting with Yogyakarta Governor Hamengku Buwono X was not politically motivated, despite the Sultan having previously offered help in mending Jokowi’s relations with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which recently stooped to an all time low.

Golkar's mass organization has said it is open to welcoming the former president and his son Gibran as members, ahead of this weekend’s anniversary event that the latter is expected to attend.

Rivals pushing for a snap election to oust Yahya Cholil Staquf from the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairmanship have continued their efforts ahead of the anniversary of the country’s largest Muslim organization.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has said investigators are wrapping up the investigation into former trade minister Thomas Lembong in regard to sugar imports he authorized nearly a decade ago.

Former Surabaya District Court head Rudi Suparmono allegedly accepted at least S$60,000 for his roles in the acquittal of a murder charge against defendant Gregorius Ronald Tannur in a high-profile murder case in the East Java capital city.

The complainants argue in their report to the Bangka Belitung Police that the expert, forestry professor Bambang Hero Saharjo of the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), lacks the competency to estimate state losses from a corruption case.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) will play the role of “strategic partner” to the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and will work in support of its programs, party politicians have said, dashing hopes for a strong opposition.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Andika Perkasa, who lost in a two-way race for governor in the party’s home turf of Central Java two months ago, has filed a request with the Constitutional Court to retract his petition challenging the results of the election.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) interrogated Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto on Monday for the first time since he was named a bribery suspect, as the party prepares to go on the offensive in a pretrial hearing later this month.

Amid mounting pressure on the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), party matriarch Megawati Soekarnoputri seems to have softened her stance toward President Prabowo Subianto, saying her relations with the Gerindra Party chairman remain fine.

Coordinating Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said that the planned retreat would be a forum for President Prabowo to brief the local heads on his agenda and how to implement it at the local level.